From the heart

Keep it up

• Congratulations to your journalists for their cogent reportage on the tidal wave disaster. Of all that I’ve read across the web on this, your newspaper was by far the best. Keep up the good work.

— Ed Sydney

No readymade model

• This refers to your report “Swiss cantonal model being explored for panchayats in J&K” and the accompanying inset “Azadi at the local level” (Sunday Express, December 26). While there is serious thought being given to the strengthening of Panchayati Raj in J&K, there is no ‘‘model’’ that has so far been developed. This will have to be developed in consultation with the state government.
Any model will also have to be in keeping with the 18 thrust areas for development of Panchayati Raj, stemming from functions, functionaries and finances, the broad parameters of which have been identified in the recently concluded series of seven round table conferences convened by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj with stakeholders from across the country.

— Wajahat Habibullah Secy, Panchayati Raj New Delhi

Blended persona

• In the death of P.V. Narasimha Rao, the country has lost a blended multi-dimensional personality who alone could be entrusted to take charge of the government at a time of political vacuum. His mastery of the silent running of a minority government for a complete 5-year term has been unique. His art of utilising the Opposition in the national interest cannot be forgotten. He entrusted Atal Bihari Vajpayee with the responsibility to head the Indian delegation at a crucial Geneva meet. Rightly, even Vajpayee considered Rao to be his political ideal.

— Subhash C. Agrawal Delhi

Lonely in the end

• I want to congratulate The Indian Express for going an extra mile to remember one of our greatest prime ministers. All the reports, anchor story, gallery, editorial, ‘National Interest’ rewind, ‘Walk the Talk’ rewind, were a really heartwarming tribute to Rao. In polls across newspapers and TV channels, people have voted overwhelmingly for Rao as one of India’s finest PMs. If all this was done earlier, he wouldn’t have been so lonely, unloved and forgotten in his last years.

— Pranav Sachdeva New Delhi

Unchecked plunder

• Corruption has become a way of life as is proved by the arrest of officers like DGP Rahul Gopal, Commissioner of Central Excise. We adhere to the axiom that people must plunder as long as their superiors don’t catch them. Red tapism and an unhealthy working atmosphere add fuel to the fire of corruption and people believe it is impossible to get work done without bribes. This is the vicious circle we have to deal with if we want foreign investment
in our country.

— Amjad K. Maruf Mumbai